The Forest Stewardship Council's (FSC) General Assembly 2017 will take place October 8 - 13, in Vancouver Canada. This event has taken place every three years Since 1996. The international membership of the FSC comes together at this event to discuss the challenges and solutions of responsible forest management and the future direction of the organization. Members submit motions months before the general assembly begins. Motions are then discussed and debated, before being voted on by all delegates. The FSC General Assembly 2017 will be the 8th assembly of members in the history of the organization. The first general assembly took place in 1996 in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Saturday, April 29, 2017

Trump's first 100 days have been a dismal failure. Trump failed to deliver on almost every single one of his promises leading many to conclude that the self-proclaimed deal-maker can't seem to close. True to his word he is making progress on one front, depriving Americans of clean air and clean water.

Trumps Muslim ban failed, his attempt to pass health-care legislation also failed. Congress will not finance his wall and nor will Mexico. Rather than drain the swamp he has made the swamp bigger. The president has rewarded the wealthy on the backs of the poor and the middle class. His one-page reward-the-rich tax plan does not have a snowball's chance in hell of passing and if it were ever enacted by Congress it would trigger economic ruin.

Friday, April 28, 2017

Science is important to governments, the economy and business. Leading sustainability focused corporate efforts are engaging science-based efforts including emissions reduction targets. Science is enhancing business and driving them to adopt fact-based objectives.

There is a mutually beneficial relationship that is emerging between business and science. As explained by Ros Le Feuvre, SYNBIOCHEM director of operations at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, "I think the academic community is becoming more aware of the commercial potential of their science and how to exploit it, there is a more open culture and increased dialogue. Over the past decade we‘ve developed closer relationships with industrial partners, from large multi-nationals to
smaller start-ups."

Thursday, April 27, 2017

In addition to their causal role in climate change the fossil fuel industry is guilty of promoting disinformation on a grand scale. Part of this propaganda effort involves attacking science. By waging war on science the fossil fuel industry had hoped to conceal their role as the leading driver of climate change. Although fossil fuels powered America's meteoric growth, we can no longer ignore the fact that dirty energy is the primary cause of the climate crisis. Nor can we ignore the powerful influence of the industry.

To retain their social license to operate oil giants withheld what their own scientists were telling them. They knew about the relationship between fossil fuels and greenhouse gasses years before mainstream science. When scientists began to publish their own research showing the relationship between GHGs and global warming, the fossil fuel industry responded with profound skepticism.

To make matters worse the fossil fuel industry is engaged in sophisticated multi-pronged campaigns of subterfuge to undermine science and manipulate people. This malfeasance was meant to obscure their role as brokers of planetary death.

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

The March for Science that took place in more than 425 cities on Earth Day spearheaded critical resistance to the irrationality of the Trump administration and the GOP. The goal of the march was to advocate for "evidence-based policy-making, science education, research funding, and inclusive and accessible science."

Climate science has garnered some of the most virulent anti-science opposition. The fossil fuel industry and their Republican minions have masterminded an anti-science crusade that has undermined climate action and this invites a climate catastrophe.

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Lamar Smith
(R-Texas), is the Chair of House Science Committee and he has made some
astounding claims about climate change that are clearly factually inaccurate. Smith is well
known for harassing climate scientists and challenging government
science agencies. He has also made spurious allegations suggesting that
scientists rigged climate data.

At a congressional hearing on March 29th Smith dismissed testimony that accused
him of being a climate denier because it came from the Journal Science.
Even though this journal is one of the oldest and most respected
scientific publications in the world Smith claims it is not objective.

Smith has said: "I believe climate change is due to a combination of factors, including
natural cycles, sun spots and human activity. But scientists still don't
know for certain how much each of these factors contributes to the
overall climate change that the Earth is experiencing."

Monday, April 24, 2017

Leading corporations are helping to show the way forward this Earth Day and no company has come further in recent years than Apple.

They were slow off the mark but since Tim Cook took over as CEO in 2011 and hired former EPA administrator Lisa Jackson in 2013 Apple has made amazing progress. Jackson is Apple's VP of environment, policy, and social initiatives. In the last four years Apple has significantly improved their environmental sustainability performance while ameliorating working conditions and transparency.

In 2017 Apple led the Greenpeace Tech Company Rankings and strengthened its competitive advantage by showing leadership in recycling, clean energy, emissions reduction, waste management and water stewardship.

Sunday, April 23, 2017

Renewable Energy UK will take place on May 6, 2017 in Cheltenham, UK. This discussion will highlight the latest methods to generate energy using solar panels. There will be unrivaled senior-level industry debate with an audience of more than 60 of the sector’s thought leaders and key decision makers.

This year’s Seminar programme is designed to support your professional learning and global network development. It is packed with policy updates, expert advice and market opportunities from a line-up of renowned speakers. An exhibition of leading suppliers and service providers will also run simultaneously alongside the Seminar providing direct access for delegates to leading industrial providers and service specialists.

EcoLinks 2017 Environmental Education Conference will take place on Friday May 5 to Saturday May 6, 2017, Niagara Region, Ontario. OSEE is hosting a suite of PD events to support educators with integrating environmental education into their teaching practice. The first event is the annual EcoLinks Conference. This year it will be held at the Ball's Falls Centre for Conservation in Jordan, Ontario, where a second (optional) day has been added to offer Project Wet Certification.

As usual, there will be hands-on workshops by educators, for educators, and the chance to learn new skills to engage students in Environmental Education and to network with fellow educators. As always, lunch and refreshments are included.

The event is open to outdoor & environmental educators, ECEs, administrators, homeschoolers and any teachers wanting to integrate environmental content.

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Earth Day is celebrated around the world but the election of Trump and Republican lawmakers changes everything. Earth Day has been celebrated every April for almost half a century, during that time we have made considerable progress. The high point occurred exactly one year ago, today when the leaders from 175 countries formally signed the historic Paris Agreement.

As we reflect on this somewhat somber Earth Day we would be wise to remember that the event was born in the U.S. and it has grown to become the largest civic observance in the world. These celebrations have contributed to a movement that ultimately gave birth to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Clean Air Act, the Water Quality Improvement Act, the Endangered Species Act and several other environmental laws. It also contributed to the Paris Agreement, the most important climate agreement in human history.

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

The declining costs of harvesting energy from the sun mean that market forces will drive the ongoing growth of solar energy. As predicted by GMO at the beginning of 2016 market forces are driving the growth of renewable energy. By the end of last summer, GMO reported that solar was emerging as the least expensive source of energy on Earth. By the end of last year, these expectations were confirmed by a Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) report.

Sunday, April 16, 2017

The Peoples Climate March will take place on April 29th, 2017 in Washington, D.C. and across the country. It takes place on the 100th Day of the Trump Administration and the goal is to stand up for our communities and our climate and to show the world and our leaders that we will resist attacks on our people, our communities and our planet. People are coming together from across the United States with solutions to the climate crisis they are also demanding that Congress act.

This effort is even more important in the context of the Trump Administration’s and the Republican Party's climate denial. Congress must protect the gains made in recent years and move our nation to a new, clean energy economy. This is a moment to bring the range of progressive social change movements together. Pushing back against the Trump agenda and at the same time pushing forward on our vision of a clean, safe world where the rights of all people are protected and expanded. This means we all must work together and now, more than ever before, because everything is at stake.

The Sustainable Waterloo Region (SWR) 8th Annual Evening of Recognition Celebrating Sustainability will take place Thursday, April 27th, 2017 from 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM at Maxwell's 35 University Avenue East, Waterloo, Ontario. SWR will release their 2016 Year End Report and present this year’s awards. The evening will also feature opportunities to hear local sustainability stories and celebrate the winners of our 2016 awards.

Saturday, April 15, 2017

As part of the 'Mission 2020' campaign, Christiana Figueres is working to advance climate action and safeguard the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Figueres is the former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The new 'Mission 2020' campaign advocates progress in a
few key areas by the end of the decade. The goal is to keep us on track
in the race to tackle climate change within the rapidly closing window of opportunity.

Friday, April 14, 2017

While United is stealing headlines for its appalling conduct, there are other corporations that have shown tremendous leadership in response to a public relations crisis. Some leaders have the good sense to respond quickly to get ahead of a problem, others, well not so much.

When United opted to forcibly remove Dr Dao they made a decision, they followed that up with a series of bad decisions. Now the victim is all lawyered-up and counting the days until his big payday. The United debacle is a nightmare that has only just begun and it will likely take a very long time to fade from public memory.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

The event aboard United Flight 3411 on April 9th is not just a PR crisis, it represents the company's failure to inculcate sustainability into their corporate culture. Dr. David Dao was bloodied by security agents as he was violently removed from the flight to make room for company staff members.

It is worth noting that like most corporate giants United claims to take sustainability seriously. United's corporate responsibility report talks about the diversity of its employees and their code of ethics.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

A sustainability charter is an important precursor to executing a sustainability initiative or program. A charter often serves as an organization's constitution and its contents are commonly included in the Executive Summary of a business plan. A charter spells out an organization's structure and goals. It provides a framework for identifying areas of focus, mapping strategy, making decisions, and actionable planning. A charter can include a mission, vision and values statement all of which formalize the actions and objectives of an organization. It can also outline the geographical scope and the organizational culture.

Monday, April 10, 2017

The web of lies spun on social media are challenging fact-based renditions of reality. The resistance to the truth undermines science-based policy including environmental protections and climate action. However, there are ways that we can use digital media to combat alternative facts rather than memeify them.

We must start by acknowledging that fake news disseminated through digital media has been used to pull off one of the biggest scams in human history. The result is our current dystopia. This president and his party have made good on their threats to decimate environmental protections, climate action, social justice and even government itself.

Sunday, April 9, 2017

This event will take place on May 16 to 18, 2017 in Santa Monica, California, USA. The California energy market is at the center of a maelstrom of change that will have profound impacts on strategic directions and opportunities for utilities, power producers, preferred resources providers and customers on multiple fronts:

The Student Energy Summit (SES) will take place June 13-18, 2017 in Mérida, Mexico. SES is a global event that brings together the world’s brightest students to learn and discuss the current issues and trends in energy. The event is planned completely by students and brings together 700+ young energy leaders from over 100 countries as well as renowned energy experts from across the globe.

The vision for SES 2017 is an event that will build on the success of
past conferences and inspire students to play a role in transitioning
the world to a sustainable energy future.

Saturday, April 8, 2017

BMW is a leading force in sustainable mobility and modernity. They have show leadership in the electric vehicle space by investing in EVs. They have also produced industry leading results. The BMW iSeries is a technologically sophisticated luxury electric car. In 2011 they announced plans to partner with GM on hydrogen fuel cell development.

On 21 March 2017, the BMW Group published its current Sustainable Value Report detailing the company’s sustainable operations. The report reveals the ways the sustainability has been sewn into the DNA of BMW. The depth of this engagement is explained in the following video by Ursula Mathar, BMW's Head of Sustainability and Environmental Protection:

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Sustainability is a megatrend that will outlast the current political
dystopia. The Trump administration's opposition to sustainability is on the wrong side of history and forward looking business leaders know it. Trump's agenda is being countered by businesses and investors.

As quoted in a New York Times article, Danielle Fugere said, "In many cases, I think businesses disagree with the
administration." Fugere is president of As You Sow, a
nonprofit group that uses shareholder resolutions to advocate for
greater corporate environmental and social responsibility. No matter what Trump does, business will not be deterred.

Monday, April 3, 2017

The courts have defended environmental protections and advanced climate action. They have already played a pivotal role and they will play an even bigger role in the wake of the GOP and the Trump administration's war on the environment and climate action. A number of groups are preparing legal challenges to the Trump administration. As reported by the Hill, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said, "The heart of the battle is going to be litigation." As explained in the Washington Post, Trump could face the biggest trial of the century over climate change. Here is a summary of rulings related to both climate action and the environmental justice.

Sunday, April 2, 2017

The 8th annual Impact Capitalism Summit will take place on April 25 - 26 in Chicago Illinois. This is the largest convening of investors focused on maximizing impact and maximizing return across asset classes. This event is brought to you by Big Path Capital which is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

The Summit will bring together more than 400 leading procurement and sustainability professionals, suppliers, and NGO experts from diverse sectors and regions to share, simplify, and spread the best sustainable purchasing practices across the whole economy.